Ceretto sponsors legislation to strengthen equal pay protections for women in the workplace

Submitted

Assemblyman
John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, is the primary Assembly sponsor of stand-alone
legislation designed to strengthen equal pay provisions for women in the
workplace. As the primary sponsor of the equal pay bill in the Assembly,
Ceretto will be working diligently to push this legislation through the
Assembly and the Senate and onto the governor's desk to be signed.

This legislation
is part of a package of nine bills that protect women from discrimination in
the workforce, extend domestic protections, and toughen laws against sexual
harassment and sex trafficking. Ceretto supports all nine of the bills and is
calling on the Assembly to bring them up individually for a vote.

Ceretto
said Speaker Sheldon Silver and the Assembly Majority have insisted these nine
bills be grouped together with a 10th bill, which would expand
abortion up to the ninth month and allow non-doctors to perform them, putting
the health of the woman at serious risk. Ceretto voted against the Assembly
package because of the inclusion of late-term abortion expansion. The Senate,
on the other hand, has passed the nine points, minus the abortion expansion,
individually. This technicality has prevented any legislation from reaching the
governor's desk.

"For
every $1 in pay a man makes, a woman earns only 77 cents. This puts working
women at a disadvantage and it must be fixed. While women have made a lot of
progress since the first women's rights convention was held here in upstate New
York, there are still issues that need to be addressed," Ceretto said. "I will
be working closely with the governor and legislative leaders to pass
substantive women's rights legislation that can pass in both houses."

Ceretto's
equal pay legislation would, if passed, prevent employers from paying two
employees different pay rates on the basis of gender. Employers found to be
violating this law would have their damages increased to 300 percent of the
wages due, ensuring justice for working women who are discriminated against.

"Once
again, the Assembly is playing games with nine important women's rights
measures that passed the Senate. They tried to group these nine measures
together with a controversial late-term abortion expansion provision that would
increase New York's tragic lead in abortions across the country," Ceretto said.
"Let's not hold nine bills with near universal backing hostage to a bill that
does not have support in the Senate. Speaker Silver needs to stop playing
politics and allow a vote on these bills individually so women can get the
protections they need and deserve."